So I am getting my pilots license...

[Tripton]

and what an experience it is turning out to be!! I actually flew for the first time on friday, which also happened to be my first flight lesson. We did a preflight inspection, and off we went. I thought there was going to be a little reading first, but I was wrong. He just talked me through all of the controls and basic maneuvers. I did ask him for a little assistance for the landing though...

What a rush! Also a real challenge. My instructor said I did quite well for my first flight ever. It is really something adjusting to so many things happening at once. It is going to take a few flights to feel comfortable up there.

Anyway, I know that there are a few pilots here on the board, so I thought that I would just throw this out here.

I actually am learning in the same Cessna 172 that my Dad did in 1978-79. He recently got back into flying after a decade long absence, and he is absolutely loving it. He takes up his Piper Cherokee 6 and a month or so ago, he heard that this 172 was up for sale, and got a great deal on it. Only 3000 hours or so on the airframe and in great shape.

Maybe I'll take some pictures, but everyone knows was a 172 looks like....so..eventually maybe I'll get some pictures of the area from the air.

Anyway, this is very exciting for me!

[Deans BMW]

Trip, take lots of pics and amost sincere congratulations.

[DarthRider]

Way to go, Trip.

Hey, it just dawned on me...There is a Motorcyclist Cafe' Air Force!

[Tassie Devil]

Great news Tripton. I wish I had your talent.
I remember well the selection process they used up in Queensland.
They shook the coconut trees and those that fell out were the "Ground crews" and..

Those that remained in the trees became the pilots...

Good on you anyway..

Cheers,

JQ.

[JCsman]

Uh-oh, envy rides again.

I was a student pilot many years ago. Piper Cherokees, Cessna 150's and Aeronca Champ (I managed to ground loop that one on a grass field). Loved it, 'til one day my (now) ex-wife came home in tears saying how much she hated her job. I heard some dummy, with a voice that sounded like mine, say, "Why don't you quit and go back to college?".

In the words of the immortal Bugs Bunny, "What a maroon".

For various reasons I never took it back up....hmmm...maybe Judy would like to continue working after I retire.....Nah. For now, riding is a fine, and full substitute for me.

Enjoy it, Trip, congratulations.

[jamming]

Way to go Trip!!! Flying is about as much fun as you can with your pants on. You'll have your ups and downs(pun intended) during the process, but hang in there.

I'll pass on a bit of wisdom my Dad passed onto me many years ago...that ticket you just got in your pocket is nothing more than a ticket to continued learning.

One other thing...Aviation is a fickle Mistress.

[Gord]

I have always thought that flying was something I would want to try, but I am not sure I have the stamina (or cash) to dive into it whole hog. The training is intense and rigorous - I have nothing but respect for those people who obtain their licences.

I had an employee a few years ago who was working on his licence. On his first solo, he flipped the plane on landing. Wrote it off. But walked away from it. He never went back to powered flight, but is - I am told - quite a good glider pilot. I can't imagine being way the hell up in the sky WITHOUT some sort of engine power at my fingertips! That is almost as mad as jumping out of perfectly good plane with a knapsack and a bedsheet strapped to your back!

Best wishes for you Trip on your quest to become a full-fledged member of the aviator community.

[AZBMWRIDER]

(Piper Warrior PA-28-161)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e4/Piper_Warrior_II_N4352G_on_takeoff_roll.jpg

Tripton, I earned my pilots license 20 years ago. I started my training in a Piper Warrior (PA-28-161)

I had my first solo flight after only eight hours of instruction. To this day, I’ll never forget my first solo flight… :icon_eek:

The only advice I have for you is; make sure you have someone there to take pictures and video of your first solo flight… :045:

Simply said, after thousands of flight hours and several type ratings, the most exciting flight in my life was my first solo flight… :023:

[HiOSilver]

Congratulations Trip! If you think you love flying now, just wait. The more hours you have the more you'll enjoy it. It's a true addiction.

As I understand it, only about .25% of the population here in the states has a pilots license so it's not every day that meet a fellow pilot. But there's at least one exception, and that's a group of BMW riders. I've been in a random group of six where all had a pilots license! Someone should put up a poll to find out how many pilots we have in our membership.

When I first solo'd, one of the instructors at the FBO wrote in my logbook "There are old pilots and there are bold pilots, but there are damned few old bold pilots!".

Speaking of FBOs and instructors, I had an amazing instructor Evelyn Bryan Johnson (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evelyn_Johnson). (I'd tell you how many flight hours she has, but you wouldn't believe me, so look at the link.) She's already had one book written about her and she will be inducted into the aviation hall of fame next month.

Again, congrats Trip and remember, we need lots of pics!

[Dirty Doug]

Hay Trip,
Welcome to the fold. I got mine from a guy maned Orval something-or-another. Well that might be a little far from the truth but it was back in the late 60's. My first time up was in a 152 and at 6' 5" and 270 lbs thats a tight fit. It didn't take long for them to put me in a 172. My first plane was a Champ which wasn't much better than the 152 for room, but it was mine. When I moved from Alaska to South Carolina in 1979 I quit flying and to this day I regret that decision. Now I do my flying on two wheels, but it will never be the same. Until you take to the skies you'll never know what we're talking about here. There just isn't anything like it. Flying in Alaska required special attention to details but the rewards were endless.

K-Rider
Doug

[Deans BMW]

Hey Doug, I got one of my earlier ratings from some guy named Orvil, think it was a ..................Single engine.............multi prop, land rating..............if I remember correctly.....or something like that.

[Dirty Doug]

Dean,
That wasn't in Kittyhawk was it??????????

Doug

[Deans BMW]

Might have been...............It was a long time ago...............

[X-Troller]

I flew off the Kitty Hawk once in an A6 going back to the "old Rosie(CVA42)"!The Kitty Hawk I flew off of was doin' around twenty kts and we had about 130 dialed in for end speed.0kts to 130kts in 2.0 seconds not the kick of an F4J but close!

[Tripton]

Thanks, all!

So far, it is indeed incredible. My flight instructor has been great and I get to get in our plane on Wednesday....after the annual is done. Ill be sure to take the camera.




When I first solo'd, one of the instructors at the FBO wrote in my logbook "There are old pilots and there are bold pilots, but there are damned few old bold pilots!".



This is probably a fairly common saying, but damned if it isnt remarkably similar to what my Grandpa told my Dad, and he told me. One of the things that will stick with you! My Grandpa learned to fly when he was in Burma and India during WW2. He was actually an airplane mechanic, but turned out to be a pretty damn good pilot when he got back to the states, or so I hear.

My Dad said that his first solo flight was probably his most exciting too (unless you count the wrecked Cherokee 6 in 1984...). the instructor told him to take the plane out for a bit and practice some touch downs. He didnt feel totally confident, but the instructor assured him that he was well enough off to do it. At that point, my Dad casually reminded him, "Well Paul, you are probably right, but just remember one thing.....it's YOUR airplane!".

[Deans BMW]

My dad always told me that flying is hours and hours of peaceful bliss......with a few minutes of stark raving hell thrown in.

Turns out that was the was it was with me.